The New York Giants selected Saquon Barkley with the second overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. Quite a few people didn't agree with a team taking a running back that early, but Barkley has been even better than advertised – which seemed impossible.

In his rookie year, Barkley put up 1,307 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns. He added 721 more yards and four more touchdowns in the air, on 91 receptions.

Clearly, Barkley was a ridiculously huge part of the New York offense in his rookie year. The expectation is that he'll be even more involved moving forward. Due to that, he's one of the most important players in the NFL.

Important enough in fact, that Daniel Jeremiah made a list about two weeks ago of his top-five MVP candidates.

Not only did Barkley make the top five, but he was also third.

That's incredible to think about. A running back in just his second year in the NFL is already so highly thought of that he's right near the top of likely MVP candidates for a season that hasn't even started yet.

That's an award usually dominated by quarterbacks (notice the first two names on the list are QBs). However, players like Todd Gurley of the Los Angeles Rams have made strong cases in recent seasons to get the gold.

That isn't the only uphill battle Barkley is facing. Another important factor when it comes to MVPs are the teams themselves. It makes sense that the “most valuable player” would be on a good team – a winning team. The New York Giants were one of the worst teams in the NFL last season. They'd need a major turnaround if they want to make the playoffs.

Without a winning record, it's unlikely Saquon Barkley will win the MVP award this year. However, it speaks volumes to how talented he is that he's already been tossed into these conversations. Maybe within the next few years, he'll take one home.